Chu Wen filed for divorce. Given their blood feud, the court naturally granted her application. Xu Maotong quickly found the best divorce lawyer in Beijing, hoping to secure the property division. Unexpectedly, Chu Wen made no demands regarding the property; she only wanted an immediate dissolution of the marriage and was willing to give up everything.
Her exact words were: "I feel disgusted by anything that has even the slightest connection with Xu Maotong."
Xu Maotong was furious at her eagerness to distance herself. He had always been the one looking down on Chu Wen, so when did it become Chu Wen's turn to despise him? There was no evidence to support his crimes. Once he recovered, he would still be the chairman of the Xu Group. What was Chu Wen? Did she rely on her son who ran a club?
As soon as their marriage was dissolved, Xu Zifan immediately posted on Weibo that he was severing his father-son relationship with Xu Maotong and that from now on he would only be Chu Wen's son. With the incident of Xu Maotong harming Chu Wen now a stark reminder, no one called him unfilial anymore; instead, they praised him for his manly spirit, his knowledge of protecting his mother, and called him the best son in the world.
Xu Maotong used to hate this troublesome son so much that he always called him "useless" and "rebellious son." But now, Xu Zifan had severed ties with him like trash, and he couldn't accept it from the bottom of his heart. When did he, Xu Maotong, become such a despised person?! Although the law doesn't recognize the concept of severing ties, Xu Zifan's public announcement was still a slap in the face for him.
He didn't believe the mother and son could enjoy their fame for long. Now that they were making such a high profile, he wanted to see how well they could live.
Xu Maotong was fearless about the two bloody cases from more than 20 years ago. Back then, technology was not as advanced as it is now. Many things were simply erased, and it was impossible to find concrete evidence.
But this was not a problem for Xu Zifan and Chu Wen at all. As long as Xu Maotong was sent to prison, did it matter what the crime was? Chu Wen personally handed over all the evidence that Assistant Feng had given to the police, and Xu Zifan also used his hacking skills to find a lot of information, which he handed over to the police as corroborating evidence.
With the evidence in hand, the police acted swiftly, taking Xu Maotong directly to the police station for detention. Need hospitalization? That'll have to wait for someone to bring a hospital certificate to complete the paperwork. Until then, he'll stay in the detention center; the police have doctors too.
Xu Maotong never expected things to take such a dramatic turn, and he was even more surprised that his trusted assistant Feng had hidden so much evidence. Overwhelmed with anger and frustration, he felt a metallic taste in his throat and fainted in the detention center.
Xu Maotong's arrest caused Xu's company stock to plummet again. Once competitors realized Xu Maotong was truly finished, they began vying for market share, eyeing the lucrative Xu's company. The board members, unable to withstand the pressure, began releasing announcements of share sales, attempting to sell off their shares at rock-bottom prices and cut their losses.
When Xu Zifeng found out, he was furious. He called a meeting and flew into a rage, accusing them of only being able to share wealth and not hardship.
The board members weren't going to let him get away with it. They directly used reverse psychology, saying, "If you believe the Xu family can return to its peak, then why don't you put up the money and buy it? Then you'll be the largest shareholder of the Xu family, and you'll have the final say. Isn't that great?"
"Yeah, if you're so confident, why don't you just buy our shares and make the money yourself?"
"If you don't even have confidence in yourself, why should we share your hardships? Let's talk business. How much have we lost because of you and your father? We're already being lenient by not asking you for compensation. We're not philanthropists."
Xu Zifeng's chest heaved with anger. Looking at their scheming faces, he gritted his teeth and said, "I'll buy it! Do you think a behemoth like the Xu family will fall so easily? Even a starved camel is bigger than a horse. You'll regret this!"
Xu Zifeng, young and impetuous, had just arrived and personally agreed to buy shares, leaving him no choice but to return to raise the funds. Besides, he had no other option. If he allowed these existing shareholders to sell their shares to others, who knew who might interfere in the management of Xu's Group? He already hadn't fully taken control of Xu's Group; if others interfered, wouldn't that only make things worse? He believed his decision was the most correct one.
Of course, his belief stemmed from the persuasion he received from Xu Zifan's secretary and assistant. While these individuals were secretly affiliated with several board members, they were actually spies Xu had planted long ago. Xu's company was in disarray largely due to his machinations, having ruined several profitable projects.
After making his decision, Xu Zifeng took his lawyer and relevant documents to see Xu Maotong. He explained the situation to Xu Maotong, saying that he would mortgage the main house and all the properties in the house, and sell the antique jewelry in the safe to raise money to buy back the group's shares.
Xu Maotong had been unable to truly understand the internal situation of the Xu Group for some time, and now, in detention, he was also unable to obtain the latest information, relying solely on the statements of Xu Zifeng and Secretary Wang for judgment. Secretary Wang, having been bribed by Xu Zifeng, naturally spoke according to Xu Zifeng's demands. Xu Maotong felt something was amiss. If the Xu Group hadn't been in dire straits, the board members wouldn't have acted this way. But what lay before him were some inexplicable individuals who were about to buy shares and gain decision-making power over the Xu Group—this was unacceptable.
Xu Maotong was powerless to do anything. After hesitating for three days, he finally agreed to Xu Zifeng's plan, authorizing him to handle the household matters. He repeatedly instructed Xu Zifeng to report to him on any company matters, as he was the one who made the decisions in this life-or-death situation to ensure everything went smoothly.
Xu Zifeng agreed earnestly, and once he received the authorization letter, he completely forgot about Xu Maotong. He disposed of all the valuables in his house according to his own plan, using the proceeds to buy the shares held by the directors. He then used the remaining money to buy more individual shares. Now, besides Xu Maotong, he is the largest shareholder of the Xu family business!
Regardless of whether Xu Maotong ultimately bequeaths his estate to him, Xu Zifeng has already acquired half of the Xu family fortune. Even in perilous circumstances...
Jun, too, was still happy to celebrate. It's just a pity that his parents are now in detention, so he can only celebrate with some buddies, which isn't quite as enjoyable.
Xu Maotong and Liang Yujie weren't as optimistic as him; they were extremely anxious in the detention center. Accustomed to a life of luxury, suddenly being locked up with other prisoners put them under immense physical and psychological pressure, causing them to quickly become haggard. Unable to contact Xu Zifeng, they were truly powerless to help.
Those imprisoned inside also had access to the news, so they were naturally familiar with Xu Maotong and Liang Yujie. Xu Maotong, a nationally renowned and wealthy tycoon, was being treated like a monkey inside, and the prisoners found it satisfying to slap or kick him. Normally, such a big shot wouldn't even give them a second glance, but now they could only let them beat them—how satisfying!
Liang Yujie was even worse off. Every woman hates a mistress, and Liang Yujie and Xu Maotong even turned the original wife into a vegetable. It was disgusting. Pinching her a few times and pulling her hair were nothing compared to the insults, abuse and humiliation that Liang Yujie, who was proud and arrogant, could not stand.
Ironically, the beatings they received didn't even qualify as minor injuries. Even if they complained, the police would only reprimand the perpetrators, and they would be dealt with even more severely later. In this environment, Liang Yujie's well-maintained skin aged rapidly, and Xu Maotong's still-recovering body deteriorated further. The two were in unbearable suffering, yet they never received any care from their son. Only they knew the anger and sorrow in their hearts.
Xu Zifan felt the time was right and anonymously gave Assistant Feng's overseas address to his wife. He felt obligated to help a woman who had been betrayed and gained nothing.
Assistant Feng's wife was a very feisty and strong-willed woman. Her brother was involved in organized crime; otherwise, Assistant Feng wouldn't have been able to get things done for Xu Maotong so smoothly in the past. Before, when they couldn't find Assistant Feng, they could only let their anger fester. But now that they learned he had settled down outside and even had a son, how could they possibly tolerate it?
For so many years, Assistant Feng's wife had endured the pressure of not being able to conceive a son. Even though it was Assistant Feng's health issue, he insisted he was a man and had to maintain his reputation at Xu's company, thus deceiving her into bearing the stigma of infertility. Now, not only has Assistant Feng given birth to a son, but he's also absconded with all the family's money. Keep in mind, his brother-in-law helped him earn that much. Before, they were family and didn't hold grudges, but now, she has to come back!
Assistant Feng's brother-in-law took his sister and a large group of friends abroad, smashed up the mistress's house, broke three of Assistant Feng's ribs, and brought him back. Assistant Feng's wife sued him for bigamy, and their son was the living proof. With his gangster brother backing him up, Assistant Feng had all his money recovered, and even the property was transferred to someone else's name. Seeing the situation was turning against him, Assistant Feng's mistress secretly took all the family savings and ran away.
Of course, she wouldn't get much, just a few tens of thousands of yuan. Having wasted so many years of her youth, having a child, and only receiving a few tens of thousands of yuan in the end, while constantly living in fear of being found, one can imagine how destitute she would be.
Upon his return, Assistant Feng was immediately taken away by the police. He was Xu Maotong's accomplice, a key witness in the case, and also a criminal. With this, there was nothing more to say about Xu Maotong's case. He was charged with 35 counts, including financial fraud, malicious competition, bribery, and harming others, and was sentenced to 20 years in prison.
In Liang Yujie's previous drugging case, Xu Maotong himself stated that he would not pursue the matter, and there was no serious injury or death, so he was eventually sentenced to five years in prison.
Chu Wen was slightly disappointed when she learned that Xu Maotong had only been sentenced to 20 years, saying, "That's not even as long as I've been in a vegetative state."
Xu Zifan smiled and said, "He will do the hardest and most tiring work in prison, suffer from illness, and every day will be worse than death. Whether it's ten years or twenty years, or even just one year, we'll see if he can make it through."
Of course, he wouldn't let his scumbag father get through it. Even if it's only for a year, it's enough to drive a person crazy. In fact, he's probably close to death by now.
Two months after Xu Maotong went to prison, the first person to visit him was Xu Zifan, who had severed ties with him.
Xu Zifan brought him a newspaper, smiling as he pointed to the large photo on it, "I know you miss your son, so I specially brought his picture to show you. What do you think? Doesn't your son's face look like yours, with dark clouds hanging over him?"
Xu Maotong grabbed the newspaper, his eyes widening. The headline, bolded and enlarged, read: "Xu's Century-Old Enterprise Files for Bankruptcy Yesterday."
Xu Maotong skimmed through the contents, clutching his heart in agony, and spat a mouthful of blood onto the newspaper!